Police seek suspect after Buffalo Township home burglary while victim inside

Pennsylvania State Police at Milton are asking Union County residents to help identify a suspect after a burglary in Buffalo Township turned into a late-night home-invasion scare on Barb Lane. Trooper Luke Hook said the man entered the house shortly before 10:30 p.m. on April 19 while the victim was still inside, then fled on foot.

Investigators say the suspect damaged a picture frame and knocked over items inside the home before running away. Because someone was home at the time, the case carries a sharper personal-safety concern than a burglary that happens after the occupants are gone. Police have not said the suspect and victim knew each other.

Troopers describe the suspect as a white male standing about 6-foot to 6-foot-2. He was wearing a ball cap with a distinct curve in the bill, a dark hoodie and jeans. That description is now the key detail investigators are using as they try to narrow down who was in the area and who may have seen the suspect leaving the neighborhood.

Anyone who saw a man matching that description, or who noticed a person running from Barb Lane around the time of the burglary, is being asked to contact Pennsylvania State Police at Milton at 570-524-2662. Even small details, such as a vehicle parked nearby, a direction of travel or clothing seen late that evening, could help place the suspect and reconstruct how the incident unfolded.

Buffalo Township, which covers about 30.6 square miles in Union County and had a population of 3,536 at the 2020 census, is small enough that unusual late-night activity can stand out quickly. That is part of why state police public information releases matter in cases like this: they alert nearby residents, preserve the suspect description and open a path for tips while the investigation remains active.

Pennsylvania crime data is compiled through the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting system, but for now this case is focused on the immediate details at hand: a home entered while someone was inside, signs of damage inside the residence and a suspect who got away before troopers could identify him.